Description

Rusty Riley tells the story of a redheaded boy who flees his orphanage (with his fox terrier, Flip) and becomes a stable boy for a wealthy racehorse owner (Mr. Miles) in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. His goal is to become a jockey. As he navigates the world of horse breeding and racing, he must navigate crooks, corruption and mystery. With art by Frank Godwin and scripts by Rod Reed, the first daily appeared on January 26, 1948.

This example from July 18, 1955 features Rusty in full jockey mode – and features a self-portrait by the artist as the character of ‘Tex’. Godwin made research trips to Lexington, Kentucky to take pictures and make sketches of the horses, fences, barns and other reference images necessary to create the strip.

All Images & Characters contained within this site are copyright and trademark their respective owners. No portion of this web site, including the images contained herein, may be reproduced without the express written permission of the appropriate copyright & trademark holder.